Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-08-13
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 5. 1888,


Mr.. Geo. VIM. Curtis, the Grand
Mogul of the Mugwumps, for mo-
ment shakes off the gloom and grief
that enshrouds him, to confess his
disappointment at the untoward re-
suit of his experiment with Nast's
!" Democratic tiger yet, like the
true deyotee that he is, he still clings
to Cleveland, his fallen idol, with
the consoling reflection that it might
have been worse! Mr.. Curtis finds
that the ciyal,service act applies to
about $4,000 of the $4,000 Federal
offices; that there are some $4,000
leading offices, with patronage to
dispense, and that in the twenty
nine months of Cleyeland's Admin
istration he had appointed $4,000
Democrats in these places-a record
that tells its own story. f
The bond circular of Secretary
Fairchild, while harmless of itself,
may well be regarded as a storm
signal by the financial world-char-
geable to the unsound fiscal policy
of the Democracy in impotently per-
hitting the accumulation of the
vast Treasury surplus. In consider.
ing Mr.. Fairchild's action, and the
reason he gives therefor, can but
conclude that the young Secretary
is a guileleSs financier who has yet
to cut his eye-teeth.
The Treasury Department reports
for the month of July a decrease of
/ sc, 663, 74S in cash on hand, and an
increase of s4,O47,133 in the circula.
tion-the former being chiefly in
gold certificates and the latter in
standard silver dollars and certifi-
Gates; there was a decrease in the
circulation of national bank-notes.
Another Treasury scandal is in
the air-something like the Harvey
affair-though efforts are being
made to cover it up BY Controller
Durham, who denies it. To state
the matter briefly, it appears that
through the ignorance or negligence
of the Treasury officials a big batch
of California land surveying &C
counts that were paid many years
ago have been worked over and paid
again. When interviewed upon the
frauds, Commissioner Sparks was
decidedly non-commlttal and his
manner was such as to impress one
with the truthfulness of the charge
Full details cannot now be given
Tt is no secret that the Controller
and the Commissioner have long
been at logger-heads officially.
Bacon's bondsmen have notified
the Government that they are
ready to make good his alleged
shortage as soon as the amount is
certified to officially. About twenty
patent Attorneys of the District o.
Columbia who borrowed $4,000 from
the late financial clerk and failed tt
repay it, have been duly warned
that unless they refund the sum
at once it will be deemed a suffici
ent reason to de debar them from
further practice before the interior
Department.
There was a scion and a few
springs of royalty all the way from
Siam in the Capital few days
since they were formally received by
the President, with the usual inter
change of commonplace courtesies
incident to such an occasion. The
Prince, whose name 1 dare not
write, for fear of the possible injury
it might infiict upon the jaws OF my
readers, was favorably impressed
and pronounced Washington a more
beautiful city than his own Capital
he took among his souveniers some
of the photographs of Mrs. Cleve
land and chips from the Washing
! ton Monument.